How Many Minutes Should You Workout On a Treadmill?

Using a treadmill is a convenient and effective method for torching calories and boosting heart health.

When you use a treadmill, you are performing aerobic, or cardiovascular exercise. This is the type of exercise that elevates your heart rate and causes you to break a sweat. The amount of time you spend on the treadmill depends on your objectives with training.

​Read more:​ How Long Should Someone Run on a Treadmill?

When you lift weights or do cardiovascular workouts, you should start with a warm-up of stretching or loosening your muscles. Without a warm-up, you risk muscular or connective tissue injury.

You can jump on the treadmill and use it for five to 10 minutes at low intensity. This will gradually increase your core body temperature and loosen your muscles and joints.

Physical activity such as a treadmill workout reduces your risk of developing chronic conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. You need to exercise at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes most days of the week.

If you are new to exercise, moderate intensity might only be a brisk walking pace. As your fitness improves, you can increase your intensity by turning up the speed on the treadmill.

​Read more:​ How Soon Can I See Results From Using a Treadmill?

Average time on a treadmill will vary based on your current fitness level and goals. For overweight individuals, walking on a treadmill can help with weight loss. To get the best results, you will likely need to work out for a longer amount of time than the basic 30-minute recommendation.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 150 minutes of moderately-intense aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week is necessary to maintain your current weight. Increase that number if you want to lose weight.

If you do not have enough time to do this in one workout, you can break it up into three, 10-minute sessions per day and still experience the same benefits.

High-intensity interval training is an efficient type of exercise that combines shorter periods of work with intermittent rest breaks. When you use the treadmill, you have the option of adjusting the speed to run faster and slower, or you can incorporate the incline feature.

When you raise the incline, you do not have to adjust your speed. You will automatically have to run faster to keep up. Due to the intense nature of this workout, you only need to exercise for 20 minutes to see favorable results. Interval training burns a significant number of calories and improves aerobic capacity. With a higher aerobic capacity, you will have the ability to work out longer without becoming winded.

If you are new to treadmill use or exercise, or don't have large breaks in your schedule. Short bursts of exercise will still improve overall health. If you work at home, try doing five minute workouts throughout the day.